Many residential roads aren’t yet cleared as Lawrence recovers from the weekend’s blizzard, and bitter temperatures are forecast the remainder of the week.
Here are answers to a few frequently asked questions as cleanup efforts continue.
Post updated at 5:35 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 7
Why hasn’t my street been plowed?
Nearly a foot of snow had accumulated in Lawrence by the end of Sunday, and crews with Lawrence Municipal Services and Operations began plowing Monday.
A city map shows areas that snow plow and salt trucks have treated and is updated when they’re on the road. As of Tuesday afternoon, the map showed several streets and some whole neighborhoods had apparently not yet been plowed.
In addition, Lawrence Public Schools will be closed again Wednesday, in part because “Some neighborhood streets and walkways still need adequate clearing for students, staff, and families to safely get to school,” district spokesperson Julie Boyle wrote in an email to school families. (See an updated list of closures for Wednesday at this link.)
A post from the city’s Facebook page Tuesday morning said crews will eventually get to the neighborhoods with unplowed snow.
“Clearing 871 miles of Lawrence streets takes time, especially after a winter storm as intense as this one,” according to the post. “Our crews have been working hard and they’re making tremendous progress. Every street is on this list, but the thick ice base and heavy snowfall following make the job more challenging. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work as quickly as we can.”
MSO spokesperson Michael Leos said Tuesday afternoon that crews had finished plowing priority streets. He said they’re now setting their sights on residential roads. A thick layer of ice underneath all the snow has been delaying their processes, and Leos said staff “appreciate patience, understanding, and encouragement from all of our residents.”
“Our MSO crews are absolutely incredible, and we are so thankful to have this team of dedicated, hard working individuals,” Leos said via email. “These amazing folks have been braving the cold and traveling all across Lawrence to make sure roadways are clear and accessible.”
What about the sidewalks?
A post from the city’s Facebook page on Monday reminded Lawrence property owners of their obligation to remove snow and ice from public sidewalks adjacent to their property.
“Removal must be done within 48 hours after the ice forms or the snowfall ends,” according to the city. If it’s impossible to remove ice, the property owner is required to place sand on the sidewalk within 48 hours.
Leos said with the nature of the storm and extreme temperatures in mind, the city will continue enforcing the policy.
“Our staff will respond to complaints of sidewalks not cleared with the intent of education, facilitating a resolution and ensuring the walkability of our neighborhoods,” he said.
How can I find out about the status of the roads near me?
The city’s snow response map includes traffic cameras to get a look at road conditions at several key intersections in realtime or close to it:
The city map that shows routes snow plows have traveled, and how recently, is at this link.
The city also has a map that shows some road temperatures and conditions as recorded by three sensors across town; that’s available at this link.
KanDrive, an app and website from the Kansas Department of Transportation, has info on road conditions statewide. (Read more about it at this link.) The app is available for download free on the App Store and Google Play. KanDrive is also available online at KanDrive.gov.
Here are some more photos from around town Tuesday morning:
What’s in the forecast?
The high in the forecast for Wednesday is 19°. But Nathan Griesemer, National Weather Service meteorologist, said wind chills will be as low as 10° below zero Wednesday morning and 2° below on Thursday morning, then creep up to 9° on Friday morning.
Griesemer said “probably only a trace” amount of snow may fall late Thursday night into early Friday morning. There’s currently only about a 20% chance, he said, and no freezing rain or sleet is expected.
Leos said MSO will keep watch on the weather and dispatch crews if additional snowfall is on the way.
Thursday’s forecast currently includes a high of 31°; Friday’s, a high of 30°.
“With it being cold today and kind of through the week, we really don’t hit temperatures really close to freezing until Thursday,” Griesemer said. “And even then, it’s probably only going to be around freezing for an hour or two during the afternoon. So just kind of keep in mind, if they’re clearing the road, there could be some wet roads that might refreeze overnight.”
Wind gusts should stay generally below 10 mph this week, so Griesemer said heavy winds and blowing snow aren’t of concern. But he warned frostbite can set in within 15 to 30 minutes of contact with the present wind chills.
See more severe weather resources and links to helpful info below.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Severe weather resources
Get warm in Lawrence:
• See this page for locations to get warm during the day and overnight, where to get help for pets and more.
National Weather Service local office (Topeka):
• Find the latest weather forecast info and severe weather advisories for the Lawrence area at this link.
• In the event of rapidly changing severe weather, such as tornadoes, the NWS posts frequent updates on Twitter, @NWSTopeka. You do not need a Twitter account to see tweets from NWS.
• NWS is also on Facebook, facebook.com/NWSTopeka.
• Call 785-234-2592 to hear the forecast.
City of Lawrence snow info:
• The city has snow information and a map at lawrenceks.org/snow that shows information about road conditions and where snowplows have been. The city typically begins snow and ice control for residential roadways when 2 or more inches of snowfall or icing occurs.
Douglas County Emergency Management:
• Follow @DgCoEM on Twitter or Douglas County, KS- Emergency Management on Facebook, facebook.com/dgcoem.
• Sign up to receive emergency alerts at dgcoks.org/emalerts.
• Find lots of tips on severe weather and other emergency preparedness on DgCoEM’s website at douglascountyks.org/emergency-management.
• Report storm damage (for non-emergencies only, and after storm danger has passed) by calling the nonemergency dispatch line at 785-843-0250 or 785-832-7509.
Evergy outages:
• Check the status of power outages on the Evergy outage map, outagemap.evergy.com.
• Report a power outage at evergy.com/report-outage, or call 800-544-4857.
• For down powerlines, call Evergy’s emergency line, 800-383-1183, if above-ground lines are arcing or making contact with trees or vegetation. Call 911 immediately if overhead power lines are on the ground or a fire starts.
Air quality:
• Check the current air quality index in Lawrence and elsewhere through AirNow, airnow.gov.
Latest Lawrence news:
August Rudisell/Lawrence TimesLawrence still cleaning up after blizzard; answers to some FAQs as efforts continue
August Rudisell/Lawrence Times
